(The Root) — Obesity is more common in African Americans than in other ethnic groups. But when it comes to Black people and weight, that's where the agreement seems to end. Is food the culprit? Is exercise the solution? Is there even a real problem to begin with, or should we be focusing on health -- or even self-acceptance -- rather than the number on the scale?

Against the backdrop of a first lady's mission to slim down the nation's kids, Black celebs getting endorsements after shedding inches and a booming weight-loss industry, The Root will publish a series of interviews with medical professionals, activists and fitness enthusiasts that reveal the complexity of this issue and the range of approaches to it.

For the seventh in the series, The Root talked to Shannon Barber, a self-described fat-acceptance advocate, who blogs at Nudemuse about topics including body acceptance, challenging mainstream views of weight and the pitfalls of the diet and exercise industries.

The Root: According to the latest statistics, African Americans are 1.5 times as likely as whites to be obese. What's going on, from your perspective, with black people, obesity and overall health?

Shannon Barber: Well, my first issue with that is those statistics almost always go by the BMI (body mass index), and the BMI is -- I would say, if no one's aware of it, just give it a quick Google -- it's one of the most flawed and inaccurate and awful things going on right now.

And unfortunately, with the BMI, there isn't any real acknowledgment of other muscle types, bone density, muscle mass and other things that can make you go from being perfectly fine [in terms of BMI] to being morbidly obese. It's completely misleading. The BMI was never even meant to address people in this manner; it's not really what it was for. But it has become the ruler and the standard -- and the big fear tactic.

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